Chapter 33

Class E wasn't happy.

Or to be more specific, class E was confused.

They had gone in, prepared to be mocked for their loss. But the weighty silence was almost worse.

The looks that came at them seemed surprised at their audacity to challenge Kunugigaoka's beloved, Asano Gakushuu. Moreover, class A against class E would obviously result in class E losing.

The mocking for class E had decreased a while ago, but that didn't change the way students in the main building pretended that class E didn't even exist. Or the way they thought that class E should live and die quietly in a corner.

Attempting to overthrow class A? 

They should have just stayed in their cages, locked up like pigs in a pen. They had no right to bite the hand that fed them.

Just because animals could walk, didn't mean they were suddenly human.

It was the same case.

Class E was looked down upon as the dregs of society. Even if a few has-beens entered it, it didn't change the fact that it was the 'Dead End' class.

But the moment Asano Gakushuu entered the hall, the whole atmosphere changed. The heavy stares turned into something infinitely lighter. Isogai could hear a few relieved exhales from his classmates.

But now they had to deal with someone even more intimidating.

For Isogai, it was the figure of Asano Gakushuu, who did a careless sweep over the students gathered in front of him like they were his subjects, was far more intimidating than even the stares that had put him down.

He briefly paused when he almost smiled at someone (Karma, Isogai thought automatically, because only one person outside class A received Gakushuu's undivided attention and he had never been aware of Karma's former status as a class A student, more).

As if to prove that, he stepped forward and gracefully announced his loss. And as one, everyone stared at Terasaka and his gang, who had somehow earned them a win from Asano Gakushuu .

There was indignation, anger, surprise, almost delighted, disappointment and many other expressions and outbursts from the other students.

But Isogai watched Asano.

Asano acknowledged the two students who beat him, his eyes combing over to the two girls, then all of class E once more, attempting to meet as many eyes as he could.

Isogai found this constant awareness of Asano's intimidating. He found many things about Asano Gakushuu intimidating- from his focus, his drive, and his father, to his intensity, and his gentleness that offered much to the people suffering, when Isogai could never even look beyond his own.

Asano Gakushuu would be someone amazing. He was someone amazing, already.

Isogai envied him, but he admired him, most of all.

Asano Gakushuu was almost inhuman.

He couldn't understand his drive, his motive or even his resilience. But he was sure that with Koro-sensei, they were coming slightly closer, even if in ways he wasn't sure he had wanted to know.

Isogai had always noticed this similarity between them- the kindness that came from suffering by yourself. And he wasn't sure what Asano had gone through, or was still going through, but he knew that Asano wouldn't stop being the barely-reachable figure he had always been in Isogai's life if he didn't reach for it himself.

That's why he was the first to accept Asano's acknowledgement.

Even if he hadn't personally managed to beat Asano Gakushuu, those six people indeed had.

He wasn't wrong.

While no one acknowledged Home Ec. as a subject, Isogai could accept Gakushuu accepting the loss, and rewarding class E for their efforts for beating him twice over.

He could.

(It meant acknowledging exactly how superior Asano Gakushuu was. Koro-sensei was an excellent teacher, but this meant that they were the ones lacking.)

(Sometimes, there were just some people you couldn't beat. And even in Gakushuu's weakness, Isogai hadn't managed to reach for the star.)

It was embarrassing, Karma thought.

He had met Gakushuu's eyes and held them steady. But he didn't like the way they had just been handed the win on a silver platter.

It wasn't personal, of course.

Gakushuu had gotten to know about Koro-sensei's weakness to water and he was aware that while class E had started to take the threat of Koro-sensei personally, people outside class E were of the mind to kill him in any way they could. Including Gakushuu.

He was just actively interfering to give them a bigger chance to kill Koro-sensei.

But, Karma silently met the glaring eyes of Mori, he was far more surprised by class A willingly giving up the trip.

"Akabane," a surprising voice interrupted his contest with Mori just before the other boy exploded and decided to pick a fight with him.

Karma smirked, before turning away to look at the newcomer. Mori let out a "tch" before grabbing his friend and pulling him away from class E.

"Mizukachi," he greeted. Anaya gave him a once-over before raising an eyebrow.

"This isn't the best time to antagonize class A, as you're well aware," she pursed her lips.

"Is it about the picture or your loss?" Karma asked innocently. There was a flash of irritation before she looked at him consideringly.

The silence dragged on.

"You still seem to have a good relationship with Gakushuu," she noted, ignoring his words. "I guess we misunderstood then," she said dismissively but stared him down, regardless of her words.

Karma was so, so tempted.

He wanted to tell her that no, she wasn't wrong. It was basically a date with the girl in the picture.

But then he remembered Gakushuu's expression when he asked if he has told his class, and sighed aloud.

The things he did for Shuu.

"And?" He asked instead.

"Hmm," she hummed. Then her lips ticked up. "I guess if you can take your loss and Gakushuu doing that, this well," her eyes shone with approval, "you're not too bad after all, Karma." 

Then she flipped her hair in his face and walked away. Karma blinked at her back in surprise.

Class A had always taken Gakushuu's lead in calling him by his last name, and even when he had started calling him Karma, class A had never changed their way of addressing him.

Seriously? He deadpanned, watching her dramatically walk away.

His failure was what made them approve of him. Wasn't that a little backward?

In midterms, when he had literally been ranked 2, they hadn't even twitched. How much confidence did they have in Gakushuu's ability to not even put 'provide a decent challenge' as a condition? Though, to be honest, even Karma found it hard to imagine beating Gakushuu in academics.

And Karma was one of the few in the school who could rival Gakushuu over the command he had over all the subjects. Even Gakushuu had acknowledged his ability, though in not so many words.

But Karma had gone in the opposite direction. He was 13th in the entire school. He had even dropped out of the top 10.

Potential didn't mean anything without effort. Just like when Karma had worked hard to practice at defeating Karasuma, he would have to work to defeat his foe here too.

It was humiliating, to stand by. To be useless to his class. While no one had said a thing, the thought burned at him. He didn't like losing.

But as he shifted over to look at Gakushuu talking to Hinata, he remembered his previous determination.

Regardless of their ranks, he had never really aimed for the rank 1 spot before. But this time was different.

This time, he was planning to win their next match.

The news spread and when the Principal called him to his office, Gakushuu held no delusions about what was about to happen.

He would be scolded and degraded and even if he revealed his reasoning, Gakuhou would never take the reasoning lying down.

Loses never had reasons behind them. There were only excuses for losers. And only two sides to a situation: a win or a loss.

Gakuhou would never accept his son losing, and worse still, him acknowledging the loss when he had no need to. Gakuhou would have preferred if Gakushuu had been more like him and never admitted a loss.

Unfortunately, Gakushuu was stubborn in a completely different way. Even if he pretended to listen in front of Gakuhou, he never truly did. He used his brilliant mind to find different ways to escape from commands he didn't like.

Gakushuu went in well aware of his mistakes.

He knocked on the door and there was a short "Come in" he got nothing from.

It was tundra inside. The room was shadowed by the waning light, tilting perfectly to obscure the Principal's face.

Gakushuu stood as far as he respectfully could and pretended the man in front of him had never been his father.

"Not only did you lose in two subjects, but you even gave up what was a sure win to your enemy," Gakuhou started, his voice frigid.

He was just getting started, Gakushuu was aware. It was just the start of something that would snap at him, it would sap his will, mess up his mindset and again, Gakushuu would have to pretend like Gakuhou's words didn't have any effect on him as he continued with his normal life.

Again, Gakushuu would go back home, and stay the night in a house he didn't like, with the Principal a few meters away from him.

And he would repeat this cycle. Defiance, fear and then normal. Again and again.

It was a cycle Gakushuu had never learnt to break. It was a cycle of abuse. Of self-punishment.

What good was Gakushuu when he wasn't under his father's shadow? Defying his father- subtle or not- had given him so much. Would he even have achieved as much without it?

"Is this the Asano blood you want to show to me?" Gakuhou asked, disgust interlacing his words.

The reasons never mattered to Gakuhou. In fact, even the words he said didn't matter to Gakuhou.

He had always been a man whose intent got conveyed. Words, action, emotions were all a means to an end.

Gakuhou wasn't saying those words to Gakushuu.

He was saying:

You failed me, my greatest masterpiece

Every step you take, you are failing me.

The thing was, no matter how much Gakushuu pretended otherwise, he hadn't actually tried to run away from his father. He hadn't tried to escape the net of control his father set.

Honestly, Gakushuu couldn't even tell anymore. Was him not escaping his own choice or his father's? Even when the alarming thought rose in his head, he couldn't muster up the will to actually leave.

He couldn't even think of a plan to. He knew the process of emancipation, and though he was sure his father would interfere, he had never even thought of doing it for himself.

He could run off to some other place, he could find his mother, or he could find something.

But Gakushuu had never even looked.

He had never searched for a way out.

He called his life hell, but he had never actually thought to escape it.

"Asano-kun, it would be for the best if you spend your holidays studying," his father said.

Asano-kun

Asano-kun

It was deliberate.

He could spot tactics too.

So he could tell.

It was definitely deliberate.

There was a familiar sensation inside his chest, a cracking in his mind, a breathless feeling in his lungs.

Gakuhou watched Gakushuu's eyes, that had been set on him, once again lower to the ground with satisfaction.

That's right , he thought to his son.

Fight it.

"You are dismissed, Asano-kun," this time Gakuhou didn't even bother to hide the pleasure in his voice.

Gakushuu left the room swiftly.